Church – Page 14 – The Jesus Chick

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America the beautiful… a tad “too” independent

Written by talk2shari Published July 4, 2013 Discussion Leave a Comment

Jude 1:4

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

My Pastor preached this verse in a sermon many years ago, under the title “Creeps in the Church.” It’s another one of his many sermons that I am reminded of periodically, as if God is reminding me, “Don’t become one of them, Shari.” Them? The creeps. Antinomians (those who believe grace excuses immorality.) This is not a God Bless America blog,”This is a God Blessed America, and now we’re blowing it” blog! There is an urgency in my soul to tell every Christian I meet not to buy the lies of dead religion. Who told you that church was no longer important? Who told you that your children would “eventually” come back around? The creeps, that’s who told you.

The creeps believe that once you’ve been saved you can live in any manner under grace. And while I am a “once in grace always in grace” believer, I also believe you had to have obtained genuine grace, and once you do, you’ll not live in habitual sin. The Holy Spirit will be will be on you like white on rice, and you’ll know that you should not. But America, our Christian nation, has become so independent in our lives that we think God’s got us covered regardless of our whether or not that life is backed up by Bible principles. We’re not the creeps… we’re the decent people…

We have decent sins.

Sunday school is no more important than the quality time I spend with my family on Sunday morning, neither is Sunday Worship, evening Service or Wednesday evening services. (And the children see… God is second, or third, or even further in place.)
I don’t want to offend people with the gospel by constantly talking about Jesus. (And you didn’t know that you were the only gospel they were going to get.)
I don’t pray over my food, it makes people around me uncomfortable. (And yet God provided the job and the means for us to eat while 10,000 mothers weep because they have nothing to feed their babies.)
I’ve done my time in church service, let the young people take over. (See my first point, they’re not there.)

What we’re saying is I don’t need God in my life. We have declared our independence from the God who brought us liberty to live in this place. We’re not antinomians, or are we? They are adulterous, lying, thieves who justify their behavior by the blood of Jesus. And yet James 4:17 says “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

It’s a sin issue for the creeps and for the “decent people.”

I pray we declare our dependence again on the God of All creation. God, help us to be a blessing to You, You’ve already blessed us.

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A Pearl Positioned by Appointment

Written by talk2shari Published May 22, 2013March 31, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

Matthew 13:44-46 ~ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

It is estimated that out of three tons of pearl oysters, only about three of them will have a perfectly-formed pearl. Given everything that is required in order for a pearl to develop, it’s not surprising that so few are produced. An oyster’s shell is made from an organ called the mantle. Using minerals from the oyster’s food as an energy source, the mantle expands, which leads to the shell’s growth. The interior of the shell is lined with a material called nacre, which is also produced by the mantle. In order for a pearl to develop, an irritant–typically a parasite of some sort–must situate itself between the oyster’s shell and mantle. When this particle sets in, it irritates the oyster and, in an effort to protect itself, the mantle begins to cover the foreign object with layers of nacre. As time passes, these layers eventually form a pearl. Typically, this takes about three to five years. (This according to ehow.com)

Is it any wonder real pearls are so costly! A jewel in the house of the Lord is much the same. Out of the congregation of the Lord it is said that only 10% are doing the actual work of the ministry, for which I tend to agree from my travels. They are rare and priceless. It is not to say that many others are not beautiful people making great contribution, but the pearls are those hand selected by God out of an ocean of possibilities.

They’ve gotten there through great irritation!

Be successful in leadership and you’ll understand completely how that pearl gets formed. Every struggle in the ministry, attack of Satan, complaint from the people, personal struggle, sickness and distraction is an irritant that has to be covered. There’s work to be done. So sometimes you wear a “slimy” smile that feels icky but it covers up the pain in your core. And before long that problem is smoothed over and you can rest a while until another issue arises and another layer of kindness or understanding is needed to get through. And much like that iridescent shine created on the pearl as layer after layer of nacre are made, a successful leader begins to shine too.

Successful leaders are not people who have their world completely in hand and under control. Oh contraire! Many, if not most that I know, are exactly the opposite. They have the same issues as everyone else if not worse but they choose to put them aside for the greater cause; which is the people of God and service to the Lord.

They’ve gotten there through many intervals

True leadership is not appointed by position, it’s positioned by appointment. It takes experience to be a leader, and most of those experiences have been a divine appointment from the Creator to train His leaders. Often times because of the politics of the day people are appointed into positions they are not qualified to have, and it inevitably wreaks havoc on an organization. It takes time to become a great leader.

They’re not imitations

Man can create a pearl that looks almost as lovely as the real deal, but the real pearls are rare, priceless, heavily sought and have gotten to that point by years of heartache and struggle. Successful leaders are those who use the irritants of life as a polish their personalities. They identify with and understand the struggles of those they lead because they’ve been there. Just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does.

Are you a pearl of great price? Perhaps you’re still in the formation stage. Use those irritants of life to polish yourself into a leader that can be used for the Kingdom’s glory. Amen!

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Sunday Morning Blues

Written by talk2shari Published April 28, 2013April 28, 2013 Discussion Leave a Comment

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ~ Philippians 2:5-8

The Sunday Morning blues… why that thought has been on my mind from the time I got out of bed I do not know. But it got me wondering today why some folks lack the motivation on Sunday to go to church.

Possibly the first reason is because they’re not in their right mind…

Paul said “Let this mind be in you.” And what mind was that? The same one that was in Christ Jesus. The mind that causes us to want to be like God. Wanting to be like God is okay when it’s in the biblical aspect. It really hit me this morning as I read this verse that people who say “So and so think they’re God,” Implying that a person thinks more of themselves than they should, may not be getting who God is either. In reality if one “thinks they are God,” arrogance is nowhere in the picture! God made Himself of no reputation but took the form of a servant. Being in “that mind” is polar opposite of arrogance.

What must Christ have thought when He went from being God to being God fashioned as a man? Paul said that He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of cross.

If on Sunday morning you have no desire to be in the house of the Lord (I speak to you as though you were saved) you’re not in your right mind. You should want to be where God wants you, and that’s in His house with His people, those that He gave His life for. If you’re not saved there is still that desire to want to be where God is. God said in John 12:32 ~ And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. There is a desire inside of you to know God, and to know God is to desire being with His people.

Sunday morning blues can sneak up on anyone. But when your mind is on Him…

He brings joy.

1 Peter 1:8 ~ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoices with joy unpeakable and full of glory:

He makes the heart glad!

Acts 2:46 ~ And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

So… where is your mind this morning? There’s no room for the Blues in serving Christ! He deserves so much more and He wants so much more for you. He died that you might have life and that it would be abundant! So head on out to church and get ready to praise Him! He’ll meet you there!

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Sunday Morning Shipwrecks and Warfare

Written by talk2shari Published April 7, 2013 Discussion Leave a Comment

I Timothy 1:18-20 – This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Speak of warfare and Korea will likely top the headlines or another warring country, but the greatest war of all is being battled on our own soil, regardless of where you are as you read this. When I Googled warfare a video clip came up of an actual military maneuver where the U.S. military were following a vehicle hauling weaponry. Their video cam zoomed in close enough to make out what they were carrying and 8-10 people on the ground, they discussed it a little while longer, received permission to deploy missiles and two seconds later those 8-10 people were in eternity and everything around them was dust.

I can assure you that Satan doesn’t call headquarters to get permission to deploy his weaponry on you this morning, we often provide our own. Wow… that was a sobering thought.

Timothy was about to go full time into the ministry, and the Apostle Paul lays a charge to him along with some heartache and sorrow from previous experience. He warns Timothy that he’s about to go to battle and his weaponry will be faith and good conscience which Paul previous ministry partners shipwrecked by walking away from the church and denying God.

My heart breaks at the friends of faith who have walked out on God. I’m not saying they blasphemed, but they at the least broke God’s heart. Satan’s missiles of choice are human. Sometimes self-inflicted wounds and other times by the words and actions of others. Usually a little of both. Because if truly we are holding onto faith we’ll let no man come between us and our Lord.

Please do not say to me that you can be as good a Christian outside of the church as I can in the church, because you have now put Satan between us, and I’d rather be looking at you this morning. It’s a lie out of the pits of Hell that you can lay out of church and not have it affect you spiritually. Little by little your faith will suffer.

What about those who cannot physically get to church you ask? First of all, ask them where they’d rather be. I believe that God takes care of us in every season of life, and there may be a season in any of our lives where we cannot attend church. But if you’re healthy and have means to attend God says in Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

As time quickly passes by, we do not know the hour or day of Christ’s return. This certainly is not the time to give credence to Satan by allowing our friends and family to see us dishonoring God by being out of service.

God loves you, and I love you! I hope today finds you in the house of the Lord and celebrating your faith with good conscience. Don’t let anything or anyone keep you away from the house of the Lord. Christ died for everyone in it, there’s not a one of them perfect. I’m at the top of the list of imperfections…

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Neanderthal Notions… When man plays God

Written by talk2shari Published January 22, 2013January 22, 2013 Discussion 2 Comments

I seldom ever watch the news. I figure if anything is noteworthy it will make its way to my ears and I’ll follow up on it through an internet search. You may think that is to be unprepared; I personally think it is to have less aggravation in my life. Take this morning for example. My husband does watch the news (thus he is usually my noteworthy source). But today as he watched I was by mere attendance listening when the ignorance of man showed itself again to be worthy of my un-attendance tomorrow. It was reported that Harvard Medical School geneticist, George Church is attempting to recruit a woman to give birth to Neanderthal baby cloned through extracted fossil DNA. And people wonder why I don’t watch the news, really?

The irony of his name being Church made my stomach roll much like my eyes do at the ludicrous-osity of the scientific community. Yes, that’s a new word. A word no less ridiculous than an idiot who would play God and assume that he can create a life as God does.

Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

I guess as long as we are in this sin fallen world there will be those who attempt to disprove God by making themselves a god. Mr. Church can scrape all the fossil DNA off of a rock (dust) that he wants but he will never become God. God alone is the creator of life. I make no profession of scientific intelligence, I’m the Jesus Chick, not a scientist. But this is where I am leaps and bounds ahead of Mr. Church in wisdom, I know not to mess with what God has deemed Holy, and that is the sanctity of life. Jeremiah 1:4-5 says “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. God creates life. God sanctifies (approves) life. God designs the breath of life and the direction of life. Man may create something in a petri dish but it will never be life as God created it.

There are times I wonder why God continues to allow this nonsense to go on. Why does He not just call us home? Because there is still God created life and purpose. And perhaps one such purpose is that Mr. Church comes to know the saving grace of Creator. The surname “Church” was likely an occupational surname. Somewhere in the past his family was likely good Christian people. I hope he’ll use that wonderful brain God created in him to discover that his genealogy will take him back to the foot of the Cross.